


Walk Right Through Me

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, References to Suicide, ghost!louis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-14
Updated: 2013-03-12
Packaged: 2017-11-16 07:57:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/537234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Styles moves to a new house when he's thirteen years old. When he's sixteen years old he meets the boy who used to live there. It takes him a while to get used to him but he's sure they could be friends or maybe even something more.</p><p>There's just one problem.</p><p>Louis Tomlinson has been dead for five years.</p><p>(ghost!louis)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> um so this is completely unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine and if you spot something feel free to tell me. Also this is my first ever Larry Stylinson fic so like yay for me?
> 
> Please please please heed the warnings, this won't have graphic descriptions of suicide but there ARE mentions of it if that triggers you please don't read on.

Harry finds out about the house when he’s 13.

He, his mum and his sister had moved there just before his 13th birthday and Harry had been confused as to why no-one he met at school ever wanted to come back to hang out with him, so he’d ended up wandering up to his mum in the kitchen and asked why everyone was so scared and even though she hadn’t wanted to, even though she thought it was ridiculous and that there was no need for him to know, he’d annoyed her until she sat him down and explained about the family that had lived there before them. They’d had a son who was a few years older than Harry and apparently he’d been bullied a lot for some reason, and one day his mother came home from picking his sisters up expecting to find him messing with his mates and instead had found him dead. Apparently he’d hung himself though Anne wasn’t sure.

That had confused harry even more until his mum had explained that everyone nearby thought the boys ghost still haunted the house. Harry knew it was ridiculous, he KNEW there was no such thing as ghosts, but it didn’t make it any easier for him to sleep for the next few days when he was convinced he heard footsteps and saw shadows passing his door.

But after awhile he forgot about it, and so did his friends who ended up practically living there and the idea of the ghost never crossed his mind until he was 16.

It was one of the few days where nobody was staying over and he’d fallen asleep pretty early which meant of course he woke up at midnight desperate for a piss. He’d stumbled down to the bathroom and his hand was halfway to the handle when he hears it.

A piano.

He thinks for a moment remembers that Gemma is out with her boyfriend and his mum is out with her mates so it’s not their music, and then he remembers the piano in the loft, remembers his mum insisting that they get it down and he learns to play but then refusing to go up to the loft on the grounds of it being terrifying. He frowns and strains his ears and the piano keeps going, bladder completely forgotten Harry walks slowly back to his room and gropes around his desk drawer until his hand closes around the torch he threw in there in case there was ever a power cut.

His confidence falters when he reaches the door to the loft where the music is even louder and it’s then that he recognises the tune, a song by The Fray Harry remembers everyone being obsessed with when it had been released that he still had a bit of a soft spot for. Taking a deep breath he pulls the door open as silently as he can and tries to slow his heart as the music gets even louder, he walks up the stairs as quietly as possibly using the torch to guide himself but also holding it in case he needed to protect himself (though who would break into someone’s loft and play the piano?) He makes it to the top of the stairs and grasps the banister before directing the beam of light towards the piano.

***

Louis Tomlinson was used to people not seeing him, he’d lived with the Styles family for three years and they’d never even glanced at him.

Well... sometimes he thought he’d seen the son looking at him but he couldn’t be sure. He spent most of his time loitering in the loft between all the things his family had left behind when they’d left.

He’d found out he could still play the piano by accident, in the first few days he’d been so distraught he could barely hold a form but when he calmed down he’d felt himself come together, and when he looked down he looked almost normal, he’d pulled himself to his feet his hand pressing against the keys of the piano and the mishmash of notes had echoed through the loft. He’d stared in amazement and gingerly pressed another key followed by another and another until his favourite song was echoing around him and he felt tears pouring down his cheeks. He’d hoped it meant his family could see him but when he’d rushed down the stairs he’d found the house empty, not even a trace of his mother or his sisters and he’d almost fallen apart all over again.

He took to playing the piano when he knew the house was empty, he didn’t want to scare the Styles’s but he needed something to keep him sane.

So when he hears a voice he almost falls through his chair.

“Who are you?”

He twists around and stares at Harry his eyes watering slightly in the bright light of the torch Harry is shining straight in his face. That’s when it hits him.

“You can see me?”

“Of course I can see you” Harry says slowly still keeping the torch trained on Louis’s face. “Now what are you doing in my house?”

Louis stares at the boy in front of him before getting to his feet and stepping towards Harry.

“You can see me.” Louis says quietly.

“Are you okay?” Harry asks frowning at Louis concern on his face instead of the anger that had been there before.

Louis lets out a little laugh.

“You can see me, oh my god. No-one’s seen me for years. Not even my sisters before they left. Wow if I’d have known I would’ve worn something nicer...” He knows he rambling but he can’t get his thoughts in order and he can’t get his feet to stop moving towards Harry who looks terrified.

Louis reaches his hand out and goes to place it on Harry’s shoulder but instead he just sinks straight through.

There’s a thunk as Harry’s torch hits the ground and Louis watches stunned as Harry practically throws himself down the stairs, he hears the door at the bottom slam shut and the slamming of Harry’s bedroom door.

He looks down at the torch as his feet and kneels down to close his fingers around it, he stands back up and switches it off, plunging the room into darkness.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, um thanks for reading this if you are? I don't really know what to say, sorry this took a while I got some major writers block trying to finish this chapter but I know where I'm going with the next one.
> 
> So I hope you enjoy <3

Louis waits until the next morning to leave the loft, he strains his ears until he’s sure that everyone is gone before picking up the torch again and taking a step down the stairs.

Louis can’t really explain walking like this... if someone asked him he’d say it’s just like when you’re alive but you have to concentrate really hard to make sure you don’t just sink through the floor (he did that quite a few times during the first month). Doors were the difficult part, he could walk through them but it was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t really just go around opening doors when other people were in the house.

This time he didn’t even think before swinging the door open and stepping out onto the landing, he looks around trying to remember which door leads to Harry’s room the torch still held tightly in his hand, he doesn’t know why he’s taking it with him, he’s pretty sure creeping around rooms is part of his job description, but he wants an excuse. He pushes open the door and lets out a sigh of relief when he realises it’s the right room, he steps inside shutting the door quietly behind him.

It hits him once the door is shut that this was his room. The curtains and the paint work are exactly the same as Louis left them and he averts his eyes from the corner nearest the window, because he knows that where his mum found him and he doesn’t like to think about what he’d done. Instead he turns his attention to what Harry had put in his room, he sees the wardrobe with the clothes shoved in haphazardly and the drawers with jumpers hanging out, there’s a laptop on the desk and a jumper thrown over the back of the wheeled chair that Louis gingerly sits on absentmindedly flicking the torch on and off as he takes in all the pictures stuck up on the wall.

Harry’s not actually in a lot of them, which makes Louis wonder if Harry took them himself, but the ones he is in are the ones that make Louis smile Harry’s smile is ridiculously contagious even captured in a picture. 

He sighs and leans back in the chair trying to figure out why he’s here, he knows his excuse was so he could put the torch back but he can’t put his finger on why he cares so much about what harry has in his room.

He’s the first person who’s ever seen you his brain points out of course you’re interested.

Louis sighs and puts the torch on the desk glancing back up at the pictures before standing up again looking back around the room still dutifully ignoring the corner, instead he walks to the opposite corner, where a bookcase stands stuffed full of a mix of cds, books and dvds. Louis lets his fingers trail over the battered spines of harry potter books and pulls out random CD’s just to see what Harry’s into.

Louis doesn’t know how long he spends in Harry’s room looking at the little knick knacks and studying the posters Harry had stuck up. He’d meant to only spend a little bit of time there, but suddenly the door is swinging open behind him.

“What the fuck?” 

Louis spins around accidentally knocking a teddy off of the shelf he’d been inspecting.

“Harry.” he breathes. “Shit I’m sorry I didn’t mean to like... oh god.”

“You’re... you’re actually real aren’t you? I didn’t imagine you?”

“Nope, sorry about that but I’m real. Well... as real as a ghost can be I suppose.” Louis runs a hand through his hair. “I can... I can leave if you want? I just... I was just bringing back your torch but... this was my room.” He’d managed to keep it together all day but admitting it out loud put a lump in his throat that made the last words come out choked.

The frown immediately falls from Harry’s face and is replaced by a look of concern.

“It was?” he asks softly taking a step towards Louis looking unsure what to do.

Louis nods and sniffs because he can’t cry in front of Harry god he’s already lurking in his room no need to make himself seem even more pathetic.

“I’m sorry um...” Harry takes another step closer. “Right mate, I’d hug you but... well with that thing happened last night... I don’t think I can.”

Louis blinks and steps towards Harry and tries to rest his hand on the younger boys shoulder but he just slides straight through again.

“I don’t get it.” Louis whispers frustration leaking into his tone. He steps back and grabs the teddy he’d knocked to the floor, his hand closes around it and he picks it up easily. “This is just weird.”

He puts the teddy back on the shelf and sighs.

“Thanks for the offer of the hug though mate.” He says “Been a while since I had one of them.” 

Harry looks sad but he bites his lip and asks the question that’s been bugging him since last night “So...are you the only ghost?”

“Think so. I haven’t seen anyone else.” He shrugs. “Do you want me to leave now? I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than talk to the creepy guy who was rifling around your room.”

Harry shrugs.

"We could talk if you want. I feel bad for running like that last night but I was..."

"Scared?" 

Harry nods. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine I'd react exactly the same if the positions were reversed."

Harry relaxes a bit and Louis smiles.

“What do you want to know?” He asks settling down on the chair looking at Harry who chews his lip.

“What happened?” He blurts out.

Louis stiffens.

“What do you mean?”

“Well... how did.” Harry gestures.

Louis stands up.

“I think I should go. You family will be back soon right? Don’t want you looking crazy.”

Harry puts his hand out to stop Louis his apology dying on his lips as Louis doesn’t even stop to open the door passing through it like gas.

He groans and drops backwards on his bed, making a promise to himself to go and find Louis later and apologise. He doesn’t know why it’s so important that he does, he just knows he needs to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I meant to have this finished and posted a month ago, but then nanowrimo happened and after you've written over a thousand words a day for a novel you don't fancy writing fic and just I *promise* not to take as long next time.
> 
> If you're reading this thank you so much it means a lot that you don't think it's ridiculous.

He waits till Saturday to try and talk to Louis, because he’s scared that if he goes to talk to Louis too soon he’ll just make it worse. So on saturday he finds himself staring at the door at the bottom of the stairs to the loft and bites his lip trying to build up the courage to actually go up.  
“Harry what are you doing?”   
He twirls around and sees his mum standing there looking slightly concerned.   
“Um... I... nothing.” He says lamely ducking his head and walking back into his room. He hears his mum hesitate for another minute before her footsteps go back down the hallway.   
He sighs and walks over to where his laptop is perched on the desk, picking it up and dropping back down on his bed.  
He taps his fingers against the laptop as it loads up and he quickly clicks onto the internet browser and hovering his fingers over the keyboard ready to type out the one word but no feeling brave enough to do it. He frowns at himself and forces his fingers to type out the word “ghosts” and click search.  
Of course it brings up too many results and he frowns trying to think how to word all the questions in his head.  
“How to help a ghost” he types before backspacing because that sounds ridiculous.  
“What to do if your house is haunted.” is the one that helps him the most. It brings up information about exorcisms and why the ghost might still be around and Harry’s so absorbed by what he’s reading he doesn’t hear the tentative knock on his door until it’s repeated again, louder this time.  
“Come in!” Harry shouts distractedly not looking up from his laptop expecting it to just be Gemma asking to borrow a jumper or something. “What do you want?”  
There’s no reply and Harry looks up in confusion frowning when no-one’s there, he stands up and walks over to his door and frowns when there’s no-one standing on the other side of it. He glances down the hallway before realising who it must have been. He nods to himself and makes towards the door to the loft again this time instead of hesitating he opens it and walks straight up the the stairs.  
“Louis?” He calls out when he gets to the top of the stairs running his hand across the wall to find the light switch. He blinks when the bare bulb bursts into life and floods the dusty loft with light, even though he hadn’t found the switch yet.. “Louis I know you’re here. Talk to me.”  
He hears a sigh and sees movement in the arm chair that’s facing away from him.  
“Louis.”  
“What?” Louis snaps and he walks towards Harry his arms wrapped tightly around himself.  
“I... I wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t think- I just... it’s been driving me mad for the past two days, so I’m sorry and I’ll try not to do something stupid like that again... if you want to keep talking to me that is.”  
Louis stares at him, his arms slowly unwrapping from around himself.  
“Of course I want to keep talking to you.” he says softly. “I just... I wasn’t ready for that question.”  
Harry nods slowly and steps forward.  
“I’ll... I’ll remember that, next time you say I can ask you something, I won’t ask that.”  
“Thanks.” Louis says before taking a deep breath and plastering a smile to his face. “Now, are your mum and sister out?”  
“No. Not till a bit later at least.”  
Louis nods and goes to grab Harry’s arm and sighing in frustration as he passes through.  
“Fine okay whatever,” he says pouting at Harry’s arm. “Seeing as I can’t play the piano I need you to play me some music.”  
“Like what?”  
“Dunno, what is popular right now?”  
“Um... I don’t really listen to that much."  
"Oh god you're one of *those* people aren't you?" Louis asks rolling his eyes. "Too good for pop music mate?"   
"Oh no not at all, I'm not a MASSIVE fan but I listen to a lot of it." He shrugs "I've just not been listening to much new stuff, sort of found some things I like and been listening to them religiously and... you know what just come with me and I'll show you." Without thinking harry reaches out to take Lou's hand and for a minute he think he feels a bit of resistance as if Lou's hand is really there. But then when he tries to properly close his hand around him he just passes through.  
Harry blinks a bit before shaking his head at himself and pulls his hand back.  
"C'mon."  
Louis smiles softly at harry and follows him down the stairs.   
"Harry what were you doing up there?"  
Louis freezes but he sees the woman not even spare him a glance.  
"Oh hi mum, I was just having a look round." Harry says casually his hands behind his back and Louis knows he must have the most innocent look on his face.  
"Find anything interesting?"   
"Oh yeah, a few things." Louis feels his stomach flip because *he's* what harry found. "But I'm bored now, so I'm going back to my room," he steps around his mum and drops a kiss on her cheek. "I'm going to be playing some music is that okay?"  
"Course it is. Not too loud though gemma's doing her work."  
Harry smiles and nods.  
"Oh by the way, the lads should be coming around in a bit."  
"I'll send them up." Anne says nodding.  
Louis follows harry back into his room and stands awkwardly in the doorway not sure where it's okay to sit.  
"Lou just sit on the bed." Harry says as he picks up his laptop. "I promise it doesn't bite."  
Louis smiles and rolls his eyes at harry before walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed.  
Harry tuts when he sees him balanced on the edge.  
“Come on, you want to hear this don’t you?”  
“Yeah... I just... I’m not used to bo- people, wanting me to sit close.”  
“Well I’m not people so come here.” Harry pats the bed and Louis reluctantly crawls closer.   
Harry puts the laptop down on the bed and smiles at Louis.  
“Don’t look so scared. It’s just me.”   
He presses play and watches Louis’s face light up as the music starts.  
Harry tries to pay attention to the music, tries to drift off like he normally does, like Louis is, but all Harry can focus on is how Louis is so into this, is swaying along to the songs, the way his grin widens when he particularly likes a song and the way his fingers tap against his knee as if he’s trying to figure out how to play it.  
Harry feels his breath catch in his throat when Louis turns to him his eyes wide and bright as an Adele song comes to a close and he realises, he’s in a lot deeper than he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about how long it's been guys
> 
> *updates and runs away*

Harry lost track of time watching Louis flip through his CDs, sometimes frowning at them others grinning brightly and saying “I love this one, good taste Hazza.” and Harry doesn’t know where the nickname came from but he’s not complaining. He only manages to pull his attention away when the door swings open and he’s suddenly crushed under two laughing teenage boys. He hears the cd louis had been holding drop to the ground and manages to wriggle out from underneath Liam and Niall and shake his head subtly when Louis makes his way to the door. Somehow getting the message Louis sinks down into the computer chair and stares at the two boys with wide eyes.

“Mate you’ll never guess what.” Niall says as he settles himself across Harry’s legs, “And I mean it, you’ll never guess.”

“Guess what Nialler?” Harry asks smiling at Lou as Liam flops down on Niall, he lets out an oof. “You guys are crushing me.”

“Sorry Harry.” Liam says moving to sit up but Niall wraps his arms around him and keeps him close.

“Shut up and listen to me.” Niall whines and once he’s sure the other two are listening he continues. “Y’know the love of Liam’s life?”

“Who, Zayn?” Harry asks.

He’s laughing at Liam, who at the name had flushed a bright red and starts struggling trying to pull himself out of Niall’s grasp squealing protests, and doesn’t notice the way Louis stiffens in the chair.

“Yeah, your English teacher who turns Liam into an even bigger idiot.” He ruffles Liam’s hair and giggles at the way the other boy his hiding his face in his chest. “He knows your ghost.”

That causes Harry to look up at Louis who looks pale and is staring at Niall.

“What do you mean?” Harry asks nervously.

“Apparently that kid that died in your house was like his best mate.”

“Really? Wow that’s... that’s so weird.”

He sees the flash as Louis stands up and he doesn’t even think before swinging his legs out from under the two boys.

“Sorry, just going the loo.” he says quickly before leaving the room and looking for Louis. “Lou.” he says catching sight of the boy.  
Louis turns around and looks at Harry, his eyes are watering and Harry’s stomach drops.

“C’mon.” he mutters and walks towards the bathroom.

Louis follows him silently and the quiet is starting to scare Harry, he’s not known Louis that long, but this is the closest to being a ghost Harry has ever seen him. He takes a seat on the closed toilet and stares at the floor while Harry shuts and locks the door.

“Lou, you’re scaring me.” He says gently, he tries not to notice the way Louis seems a little more transparent and instead focuses on trying to get the boy to talk to him. “Is it because of Niall talking about you like that?”

That snaps Louis out of it a bit.

“What- no no it’s not that it’s just... is... is Zayn a teacher now?” he asks the last bit in a rush and Harry frowns.

“Um yeah, he teaches English at my college, why?”

“We... we were going to go to uni together... I always used to joke that I wasn’t going to let him out of my sight... promised him I’d follow him all around the country if I had to, teaching theatre to hobos and stuff.” He smiles and bites his lip. “He was my best mate and I-”

He’s cut off by a banging on the door.

“You alright in there mate?”

“W-yeah fine, just sorting my hair, you could’ve told me it looks like a birds nest.”

He drags a brush through his curls and opens the door to see Niall grinning at him.

“Well we thought that’s what you were going for.” he says cheekily.

Harry rolls his eyes and shoves Niall who takes off running back to Harry’s room.

“Harry, do you have English tomorrow?” Lou asks as they walk back to his room.

“Yeah why?”

“I.. I want to come with you. If that’s okay... I just... really want to see Zayn.”

“Of course.”

***  
“Hazza?” 

Harry opens his eyes to see Louis’s face ridiculously close to his own. He mentally high-fives himself for not screaming like a little girl.

“Lou?” he winces at how scratchy his voice is. “What’s up?”

“Would it be creepy if I stayed here tonight?”

Harry rubs his eyes and doesn’t really think about what he’s doing.

“Of course not,” he lifts his cover up. “feel free.”

Louis blinks a little in shock and climbs into the bed next to Harry.

“Thanks.” he says quietly.

“Don’t mention it.” Harry yawns and curls back up. “Night lou.”

“Night...”

***

The next morning Louis wakes up to Harry smiling at him as he drags a brush through his tangled curls.

“Mornin’ sleepy head.” He says with a smile. “You should get ready we’re leaving in a min.”

Louis yawns and tries not to think about the fact that was the best nights sleep he’s had since the first time he opened his eyes in an empty house.

“Fine but move I need a mirror.” He shivers when he pushes the covers off of his body and frowns because that’s definitely new. He can’t remember the last time he was cold, but he is now.

“What you show up in them?” Harry sounds genuinely surprised and Louis narrows his eyes and feigns annoyance.

“I’m a ghost not a vampire Haz.” he says as he takes in his reflection.

Harry rolls his eyes and turns around to pick up his bag, he’s shocked when he turns around to find Louis in a different outfit, his hair styled into a messy side fringe.  
“H-how?”

“I have no idea.” Louis says leaning down to roll up the ankles of his bright jeans. “It just sort of happens, I’m just glad I’m finally at the point where I can actually have my hair shorter, I used to look ridiculous.” He looks at himself in the mirror again and nods.

“I’m having a hard time believing that.” Harry’s trying not to stare, but Louis looks so pretty and Harry’s only human. “You look really nice.” He blurts out.

Louis turns to look at Harry and Harry swears he can see the other boy blushing but he quickly recovers.

“Thanks Hazza. It’s all for you.” he bats his eyelids in Harry’s direction and grins. “Now come on. Can’t have you being late.”

***  
Louis seems unsure when he gets to Harry’s classroom but when Harry opens the door he takes a deep breath and forces himself to walk inside. 

Harry smiles at Liam and makes his way to an empty table near the front.

“Of course you sit at the front.” Louis says rolling his eyes but he sits down in the empty chair next to Harry and starts to stare nervously at the door. He taps his foot at a ridiculous pace and twisting around in his seat so he’s not looking when the door opens and Zayn walks in with an easy grin.

Louis see’s Harry’s friend Liam flush bright red when he catches Zayn’s eye and snorts because he doesn’t blame Liam, Louis had never met anyone who wasn’t a little bit in love with Zayn. Louis takes a deep breath and turns to see Zayn standing at the front of the class wearing a denim jacket, Louis can see a packet of cigarettes hanging out of one of the pockets and can’t stifle the fond smile at the sight of it. The he looks at Zayn properly.

“Jesus.” he says not even bothering to keep his voice down. “He’s so skinny. How did that happen?”

Zayn freezes and Louis gasps his hand moving as if to grab Harry’s arm, his hand goes straight through and Zayn almost chokes. He stares directly at Louis who looks back wide eyed dragging in a deep breath.

“Hi Zayn.” He says quietly.

The change that comes over Zayn is startling, a smile spreads across his face.

“Right guys.” He says calmly. “A couple of you have been sending me extra work you’ve been doing for university and stuff and it’s really great. So I thought I’d see you individually after class over the next few days?” When the class all nod he smiles. “Harry why don’t you stay first?”

Harry glances at Louis out of the corner of his eye and he’s nodding slowly so Harry follows suit.

“Sure why not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said I'm really sorry about this, college work and getting prepare for uni and stuff has been kicking my arse. I'll try not to let this happen again.
> 
> I'm cross-posting this on my writing tumblr tealcalm.tumblr.com and I should be posting a playlist for this series there. :D
> 
> okay I think that's everything I hope you liked it.


End file.
